Single-Subject Designs For Marketing Campaigns: ABA Experimental Design
In the world of behavioral science, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is often associated with being a therapy, when in truth, ABA is a science. It offers powerful tools backed by decades of empirical research for understanding and influencing human behavior across various contexts. Although not widely popular for marketing, ABA has potential in this sector.
At the core of every successful marketing campaign lies a quest to identify which strategies work, for whom, and under what circumstances. Enter single-subject designs…
Unlike traditional group designs that focus on population-level averages, single-subject designs enable marketers to study consumer behavior at the individual level. These in-depth insights can fuel personalization and optimization, revolutionizing data-driven campaigns.
The purpose of this blog post is to examine how marketers can use multiple baseline designs, reversal designs, and multielement designs to refine their efforts and achieve measurable success.
Understanding Single-Subject Designs
What Are Single-Subject Designs?
Single-subject research involves analyzing changes in behavior through repeated observations of individuals over time. These designs are highly adaptable to real-world applications, making them useful in marketing campaigns. It’s personally why I love them so much; they offer a high degree of flexibility.
In ABA, such designs focus on the causal relationship between two key variables:
Independent Variable (IV): Refers to what you are manipulating or changing. In a marketing context, this could be the marketing intervention (e.g., ad copy, promotional offer).
Dependent Variable (DV): Refers to what you’re measuring. In the marketing world, this would be the consumer response (e.g., clicks, purchases, brand engagement).
For example:
Does a new email format increase click-through rates?
Formatting is the IV, while click-through rates are the DV.
Does using testimonials in ads boost product sales?
Testimonials are the IV, while product sales are the DV.
Single-subject design methodology helps eliminate broad assumptions and relies on evidence-based insights.
The Multiple Baseline Design
A multiple baseline design, which is a personal favorite of mine, evaluates interventions across several subjects, settings, or behaviors. From a marketing perspective, this could be customers, platforms, or demographics. The multiple baseline design offers a staggered approach, allowing marketers to observe incremental behavioral changes, making it easier to attribute outcomes to the intervention.
How It Works
Consider testing the impact of video ads vs. static image ads:
Start by introducing video ads on a single platform (e.g., Instagram) and monitor engagement levels over time.
Once a trend is observed, roll out the same intervention sequentially to additional platforms (e.g., Facebook, TikTok).
By introducing the intervention gradually, it's easier to rule out external factors like seasonal trends or unrelated promotions.
Case Study Application
Imagine launching a loyalty program for a retail chain across three cities:
City A: Introduce the program and collect data on purchases and participation rates.
City B: Once changes in City A are observed, roll out the program to City B.
City C: Finally, implement the program in City C once City B data has stabilized.
This staged introduction ensures that measured behavioral changes can be attributed to the program itself, rather than local preferences or external variables.
Advantages of Using the Multiple Baseline Design in Marketing
Controlled Implementation: Reduces risks involved with large-scale rollouts.
Minimized Confounding Variables: Isolates seasonality and other influences.
Gradual Insight: Provides a timeline for fine-tuning campaigns.
Reversal Design in Marketing Campaigns
A reversal design (also known as an ABAB design) involves introducing, withdrawing, and then reintroducing an intervention while closely monitoring for changes. This design is useful for confirming whether specific marketing tactics directly impact consumer behavior.
How It Works
Consider evaluating the effects of a limited-time discount:
Baseline phase (A): Monitor sales data without a discount.
Intervention phase (B): Introduce a 20% discount and observe the impact on sales.
Return to baseline (A): Withdraw the discount and assess if sales return to their initial levels.
Reintroduce the intervention (B): Apply the discount again to confirm its effect.
This cyclical process establishes whether changes in behavior consistently correlate with the intervention. The more reversals an experiment has, the higher the demonstration of experimental control.
Case Study Application
Let us say that an e-commerce company is testing free shipping:
Baseline Phase (A): Implement standard shipping costs and monitor cart abandonment rates.
Intervention Phase (B): Offer free shipping and observe a decline in abandonment rates.
Return to Baseline (A): Revert to standard shipping and measure if abandonment rates increase again.
Reintroduce Intervention (B): Reapply free shipping to verify results.
Systematically switching between conditions ensures campaigns are optimized based on reliable, replicable insights.
Advantages of the Reversal Design in Marketing
Causal Clarity: Establishes clear cause-and-effect relationships.
Reduced Risk: Allows rapid feedback before committing further resources.
Short-Term Feasibility: Ideal for testing time-sensitive offers (e.g., flash sales).
Multielement Design in Marketing Campaigns
A multielement design (alternatively called an alternating treatments design) is ideal for comparing multiple marketing strategies in rapid succession. By alternating interventions within short timeframes, marketers can quickly determine which plan performs better.
How It Works
Identify Measurable Goal: Determine the target consumer behavior, such as conversions, clicks, or sign-ups.
Test Multiple Strategies: Create distinct marketing approaches to test (e.g., email vs. social ads, humor vs. urgency messaging).
Alternating Presentation: Schedule the strategies to be deployed in rotation while controlling factors like audience, timing, or platform.
Analyze Results: Compare performance data from each strategy (e.g., engagement rate or sales) to determine which yields the best outcome.
Case Study Application
Suppose you're testing three advertisement styles across different platforms:
Day 1: Run ads emphasizing discounts (e.g., “Save 20% Today”) and measure customer response.
Day 2: Shift to ads focusing on product quality (e.g., “Premium Craftsmanship, Built For You”).
Day 3: Highlight urgency in ads (e.g., “Limited Stock—Grab it Now!”).
Repeat the cycle while examining differences in engagement rates, clicks, or conversions. This iterative process enables marketers to identify the most effective approach based on real-time consumer behavior. Employing a discount strategy could end up underperforming significantly when compared to the high urgency tactic.
Advantages of the Multielement/Alternating Treatments Design in Marketing
The main advantage is that no baseline is required for comparison: Unlike some experimental designs that require establishing a baseline performance (a "control" condition before testing interventions), a multielement design eliminates this need.
This is particularly advantageous in marketing because managers tend to want options with faster start-ups.
The design also reduces complexity since there’s no need to isolate a “standard” condition, which can be challenging to achieve in dynamic marketing environments.
Why Single-Subject Designs Work in Marketing
Marketing strategies revolve around human behavior, and single-subject designs provide:
Precision: Isolate the effects of specific changes (e.g., ad variation, pricing strategy).
Flexibility: Adapt interventions over time in response to new insights.
Actionable Insights: Focus on individual behaviors rather than generalized averages.
These designs enable marketers to treat every consumer interaction as a data point, empowering them to craft personalized, evidence-based campaigns.
Don’t get me wrong, group designs are VERY EFFECTIVE. Many situations call for a group design, but don’t underestimate the power of precision when employing a single-subject design.
Data is Gold in Today’s Landscape
Data is currency in 2025! Marketing is increasingly data-driven, and the experimental designs from ABA offer a robust toolbox for improving campaign effectiveness. Single-subject methodologies offer structured approaches that can potentially help marketers identify what works, refine strategies, and achieve measurable outcomes.
If the same old strategies aren’t working, then it’s time to individualize your approach…. Doing so might be the difference in changing that ROI for the better.
Takeaway: Behavior analysis isn’t just for behavior analysts (BCBAs); it’s a game-changer for marketers who desire precision.
